World Trigger: Engage Thy Neighbor

I read World Trigger, Vol. 8

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

World Trigger: Outsmart Thy Neighbor

I read World Trigger, Vol. 7

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

World Trigger: Repel Thy Neighbor!

I read World Trigger, Vol. 6

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

Natsume's Book of Friends: Mr. Hakozaki's Study

I read Natsume's Book of Friends , Vol. 18

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

World Trigger: Train Thy Neighbor!

I read World Trigger, Vol. 5

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin, which is seeking donations.  Follow me on Twitter or at Grumble.

World Trigger: Enlist Thy Neighbor!

I read World Trigger, Vol. 4

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World Trigger: Befriend Thy Neighbor!

I read World Trigger, Vol. 2

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Review: WORLD TRIGGER Volume 1

WORLD TRIGGER, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Daisuke Ashihara
TRANSLATION: Lillian Olsen
LETTERS: Annaliese Christman
EDITOR: Hope Donovan
ISBN: 978-1-4215-7764-7; paperback (October 2014); Rated “T” for “Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K.

At the age of 27, Daisuke Ashihara's manga, Room 303, won second place in the 75th Osamu Tezuka Awards.  World Trigger is Ashihara's second manga to run in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump.

World Trigger is set in Mikado City.  One day, a gate to another world opens in Mikado City, and invincible monsters emerge from the gate.  They destroy much of the city and kill hundreds of citizens.  These monsters are called “Neighbors.”  An elite band of warriors, the Border Defense Agency or “Borders,” for short, co-opt Neighbor technology and now fight back against their incursions.  Osamu Mikumo, a 15-year-old high school student, is a Border trainee.

In World Trigger, Vol. 1 (Destroy thy Neighbor!, Chapter 1 to 7), Osamu meets the new student at his school.  He is a blond-haired, 15-year-old named Yuma Kuga.  Yuma is new to the ways of Japan, but he is feisty.  He is also a Neighbor.

The World Trigger manga is a typical shonen manga in that it has a boy hero.  It is atypical in that its boy hero is not really good at his chosen heroic profession.  A member of his organization's natural enemy is also his friend.  That new friend also covers for Osamu during an incident that makes Osamu look like a giant-killer, which he is not.

World Trigger Volume 1 is straight-forward and easy to follow.  Creator Daisuke Ashihara is clever in the many different ways in which he inserts back story, terminology, science, and technology that the readers need to know in order to understand World Trigger.  Lillian Olsen's breezy translation picks up on the story elements that readers need to know and also on the series' comic tone.

I like Ashihara's loose, slightly-unpolished art style and his clean compositions and storytelling.  This first volume is surprisingly and highly entertaining.  Is it fluke?  I hope not.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

Review: NATSUME’S BOOK OF FRIENDS Volume 16

NATSUME’S BOOK OF FRIENDS, VOL. 16
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Yuki Midorikawa
TRANSLATION & ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Lillian Olsen
LETTERS: Sabrina Heep
ISBN: 978-1-4215-6782-2; paperback (June 2014), Rated “T” for “Teen”
196pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S. $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

One of my favorite manga is Natsume’s Book of Friends, created by mangaka, Yuki Midorikawa.  I think it is also one of the best comic books published in North America the past three years.

Natsume’s Book of Friends focuses on Takashi Natsume.  He is a high school boy who can see the spirits and demons called “yokai.”  This ability has been a curse and has set him apart from others.  Takashi, an orphaned teen, finds a stable home with Tôko and Shigeru Fujiwara, a kindly couple who are distant relatives.

Natsume also has a companion in Nyanko-Sensei, a guardian yokai.  Takashi learns that he has inherited two things from his mysterious grandmother, Reiko Natsume: “the Sight” and her “Book of Friends,” a tome in which Reiko wrote the names of yokai.

As Natsume’s Book of Friends, Vol. 16 (Chapters 64 to 67) opens, Natsume discovers strange, graffiti-like writing on the blackboard in his second period classroom.  While he engages that mystery, he meets his friend, Taki Tohru.  Taki can see yokai when they enter one of her spell circles.  She recently discovered a spell circle created by her late grandfather, and she used it to help a yokai.  This yokai, however, still remains near Taki’s house, and if he doesn’t want revenge, Natsume wonders, what does he want?

Next, Natsume visits Kaname Tanuma, his friend who can sense when yokai are present.  Kaname is going to visit his Aunt Satomi, who is remodeling an inn she owns and operates.  She wants some help cleaning the place for a few days.  Two of their school friends, Nishimura and Kitamoto, join Natsume and Kaname on a trip to the inn to work in exchange for room and board.  Not long after arriving, Natsume discovers the presence of a yokai that has stolen something important, endangering all their lives.

[This volume includes a bonus story, “Out of Season Blossoms.”]

As I have stated before, I had no idea that I would like the Natsume’s Book of Friends manga so much after I read the first volume of the English adaptation a few years ago.  This unique manga is the kind of literary fantasy that would fit in at Vertigo, the DC Comics’ imprint which focuses on adult-oriented fantasy comics (among other genres).

It would also be at home with juvenile and young adult graphic novels offered by publishers like First Second Books and Scholastic.  In fact, if Neil Gaiman was listed as the author of Natsume’s Book of Friends, this series would already be a bestseller, be a multiple Eisner Award-winner, and have won at least one Hugo Award.  The film or television rights would have been snapped up after the first graphic novel was published.

Instead, Natsume’s Book of Friends seems largely unknown outside of manga fans.  I wonder what the highest position on the New York Times bestselling manga list is that Natsume’s Book of Friends has achieved.

Natsume’s Book of Friends Volume 16 is one of the volumes that are perfect for new readers.  Neither of the two main stories (each running two chapters) involves the series’ internal mythology beyond the fact that Taki and Kaname are reoccurring characters.  Vol. 16 is a good example of the wonderful sense of magic and enchantment this series offers, and it proves that this series should be a big hit.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

Hunter x Hunter: Crushing Defeat

I read Hunter x Hunter, Vol. 32


I posted a review at the ComicBookBin, and you can follow me on Twitter and/or contribute to my Indiegogo campaign.

Fushigi Yugi Genbu Kaiden: Final Battle

I read Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden, Vol. 12

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

Natsume's Book of Friends: Different Eyes

I read Natsume's Book of Friends , Vol. 15

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

X: Karen and Nataku

I read X, Vol. 6: 3-in-1 (X (3-in-1))

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (which has free smart phone apps and comics).

Natsume's Book of Friends: Soundless Valley

I read Natsume's Book of Friends , Vol. 14

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

Cross Game: The Final Volume

I read Cross Game, Vol. 8

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

Hunter x Hunter: Answer

I read Hunter x Hunter, Vol. 30

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

Manga Review: X: 3-IN-1 EDITION Volume 5

X 3-IN-1 EDITION, VOL. 5
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: CLAMP
Story and Script and Book Design: Nanase Ohkawa
Art/Cover Illustration: Mokona Apapa
Art Direction: Mick Nekoi
Art Assistance: Satsuki Igarashi
TRANSLATION: Lillian Olsen
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane
LETTERS: Annaliese Christman
ISBN: 978-1-4215-4045-0; paperback, Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
560pp, B&W with some color, $19.99 U.S. $22.99 CAN, £12.99 UK

X, which is also known as X/1999, is a shojo manga from the manga creating collective, Clamp (or CLAMP). The series debuted in the May 1992 issue of Monthly Asuka and follows a young man who must deal with the fact that his destiny will determine the fate of humanity. VIZ Media is currently publishing the series as “X” in their omnibus 3-in-1 editions, which collect three volumes in one large-sized paperback volume.

The series focuses on Kamui Shiro, a powerful young esper (someone with powers based on extra-sensory perception). He is at the center of a prophecy foretold by Hinoto, a young blind woman. She is Japan’s greatest seer, and she has foretold the end of the world. There are two competing forces battling over Earth. The Dragons of Earth (The Seven Angels) believe that the conflict between man and nature cannot be resolved peacefully, so man, as destroyers, must be destroyed.

The Dragons of Heaven (The Seven Seals) believe that the conflict between man and nature can be resolved peacefully. Hinoto hopes to win Kamui, who possesses tremendous arcane powers, to the side of the Dragons of Heaven. Kamui just wants to protect the two people most important to him, Fuma Monou and his sister, Kotori. Fuma, however, is also called “Kamui,” and he has sided with the Dragons of Earth.

X 3-in-1 Edition: Vol. 5 collects X/1999 Volumes 13 to 15. In X/1999 Volume 13, one of the Seven Angles attack a city, and Yuzuriha Kishu raises a kekkai (magical barrier) to protect the city. That Angel confronts Yuzuhira with a big question, “Why is it wrong to kill people?” Inuki’s attempt to protect Yuzuhira comes at a great cost. Also, the city of Shinjuku is attacked. Plus, the history of Karen Kasumi is revealed.

In X/1999 Volume 14, Kakyo Kuzuki, the male Dreamgazer of the Dragons of Earth, visits Kamui Shiro. Fuma attacks the cities of Ebisu and Shibuya, in the continuing bid to destroy Tokyo. Hinoto receives an unwanted visitor, and the kekkai protecting Tokyo continue to fall.

In X/1999 Volume 15, Kakyo meets Hokuto Sumeragi and develops strong romantic feelings for her. Yuzuhira declares her love for Kusanagi. Kamui battles Fuma, and an insidious plot grows inside the Dragons of Heaven.

In my earlier readings of the X 3-in-1 Edition manga, I found some things to like about X/1999. Of course, I latched onto the battle scenes, with all their displays and depictions of magical energy, either exploding on some pages or igniting across double-page spreads.

However, I found much of the graphical storytelling to be raw. The compositions were full of sound and fury, as if CLAMP were letting everything fly loose in a fury of pencil art and inking. At this point in the series, however, the story and the art are polished, and the storytelling is clear and concise. I feel the passions of the characters, and the hotter blood of conflicts and motivations come through to me. Now, X/1999 is gripping and engaging reading. I’m ready for more, which I wasn’t before now.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Review: NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: 3-in-1 Edition Volume 2

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION 3-IN-1 EDITION, VOL. 2
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
ORGINAL CONCEPT: khara GAINAX
TRANSLATION: Lillian Olsen, William Flanagan, David Ury
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Fred Burke, Carl Gustav Horn
LETTERING: Wayne Truman, John Clark
EDITORS: Megan Bates, Carl Gustav Horn
ISBN: 978-1-4215-5305-4; paperback (March 2013); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
572pp, B&W, $19.99 U.S., $22.99 CAN, £12.99 UK

The anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion, first aired on Japanese television in late 1995. The manga adaptation of the anime, also entitled Neon Genesis Evangelion, actually debuted in 1994. VIZ Media is publishing single-volume Neon Genesis Evangelion graphic novels and is reprinting the series in 3-in-1 editions, which gather three graphic novels in one large-sized, single volume.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is the story of humans at war with hostile beings called Angels. The human side of the conflict is led by NERV, a paramilitary organization. NERV created giant biomechanical units (or mecha) called Evangelions (also known as EVA or Evas) that are piloted by teenagers. The lead character is 14-year-old Shinji Ikari, EVA “Unit-01” pilot, who is also known as the “Third Child.”

Neon Genesis Evangelion 3-in-1 Edition, Vol. 2 (Chapters 20 to 40) reprints Neon Genesis Evangelion, Volumes 4 to 6. In Volume 4, Asuka Langley Soryu (the “Second Child”), the EVA Unit-02 pilot, comes to the fore. The golden-red-haired teen is dismissive of Shinji. When they meet a powerful Angel with a surprising ability, Shinji and Asuka must learn to work together. That training will bring them closer than they ever wanted to be.

In Volume 5, roommates Shinji and Misato Katsuragi, the 29-year-old NERV operations chief, get a new roommate. Shinji confronts his father, 48-year-old Gendo Ikari, the Supreme Commander of NERV, at this mother’s grave. Misato also discovers secrets about Ryoji Kaji and his loyalties.

In Volume 6, meet 14-year-old Rei Ayanami, the “First Child” and EVA Unit-00 pilot. Wait; you’ve already met her… Shinji’s pal, Toji Suzuhara, has an admirer. Also, NERV recruits the “Fourth Child,” who receives a baptism by fire.

Having never seen Neon Genesis Evangelion the anime, I was curious to read Neon Genesis Evangelion the manga, once I learned that it existed. The more I read the manga, the more I liked it. I would suggest that readers start at the beginning with these 3-in-1 editions. I started reading Neon Genesis Evangelion with Volumes 12 and 13 of the graphic novel series. They were enjoyable, but I was somewhat lost.

The early chapters of Neon Genesis Evangelion the manga are simple and straight forward. They develop slowly, and author Yoshiyuki Sadamoto allows the reader to get to know the characters – some more than others, but always enough to tell the story or to entice the reader to keep reading to learn more.

Shinji Ikari is the vehicle through which we are introduced into the world of NERV and the Evangelions. Shinji starts off a bit soft and unfocused for a lead. By Vol. 4, Sadamoto has fleshed out Shinji, so the moody, sad boy has developed a playful side and even becomes more forceful. Why am I writing about a character and not about the giant robot battles – because I want more of the characters than I want of the giant robots, which are cool, though.

Readers looking for classic mecha must look for Neon Genesis Evangelion 3-in-1 Edition.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Fushigi Yugi Genbu Kaiden: Temdan vs. Tegil the Final Battle

I read Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden, Vol. 11 (Fushigi Yugi (Graphic Novels))

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

Hunter x Hunter: Memory

I read Hunter x Hunter, Vol. 29

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.